Action Research

Initial Meeting with Teacher

Students Chosen:
Student Z This student was chose by Mrs. Underwood to be a part
of my Action research group to help them improve in the abilities to make
inferences while reading. Mrs. Underwood selected Student Z who was at the
higher level of the class because she felt like she needed just as much
attention as those kids in the lower level. She wanted me to challenge them
and work with her on specific skills in the classroom.
Student H This student was chosen by Mrs. Underwood to be a part
of my Action Research group to help her become more confident in her
ability to make inferences. She is very timid in the classroom and Mrs.
Underwood said that she would be a great student to work with on building
confidence in her answers when making inferences. Student H is also a slow
worker, Mrs. Underwood wants me to work with her on finding the key details
in the different passages more quickly, rather than having Student H go back
though and read the whole passage again. Finding key details is important
when making inferences.
Student P This student was chosen because he seems to struggle
with using textual evidence to support his answers. He struggles with going
back to the passage to find what he needs to answer the question. He works
to the best of his ability and try, but Mrs. Underwood explains that sometime

Action Research
he works too fast and will just guess. She wants me to work with him on
slowly going though the different passages and really working to find that
support that he needs to help justify his answers.

The Question:
After Mrs. Underwood selected the students for my action research
plan, she suggested that I work with them on the best way to make
inferences when reading. The question that we wanted to focus on was After
reading through a chapter in a chapter book, what strategies would help
improve students ability to make inferences about the next chapters in the
story? All these students in my group are above grade level in almost every
subject area in their class. Mrs. Underwood wanted me to work with them
and challenge them, because sometimes she feels like they arent
challenged enough in the normal classroom setting. She is introducing the
concept of making inferences in the classroom to all of her students but she
wants them to develop specific strategies for making the best inferences
about the passages that they read.

Action Research Timeline:

Pre-Session:

Meet with Mrs. Underwood to discuss how to go about action

research
Decide which students to work with
Decide what direction to go in for the research
o What content will be addressed
Ex: fluency, expression, comprehension, etc.

Action Research
Session 1:

Meet with the group of students together

Give them the Pre-Assessment worksheet
Individually give them the Review and Practice worksheet
o Have them answer the question, What is an inference?
before they even start the worksheet
o This will help them understand what they are going to try
to improve in their reading and give them a better
understand of what an inference is.
o Walk through this worksheet with them step by step but as
a whole group
Read chapter 1 of Charlottes WebHave the students make a
prediction of what they think will happen next in the story

Session 2:

Give a mini-lesson to the three students about making

inferences
Make this a step by step process and allowing them to go
through the passages and sentences very slowly
Define what making an inference is and how not all the
information is in the passage alone.
o Practice this skill with Assessment 2How Clothes Help
and The Shopping List
Read Chapter 2 of Charlottes Web and discuss what they think
will happen next.
o From the last reading session decide who was right about
their predictions and then ask that student how they went
about making that inference or prediction

Session 3:

Do another practice worksheet about inferences

o Have the students complete the Practice Page 1 worksheet
The Factory and Max Makes a Call
Read chapter 3 of Charlottes Webhave the students keep
asking questions about the future chapters and continue to make
inferences
o Even throughout the chapter, ask the students questions

Session 4:
Post-Assessment

Give the students one final assessment- Practice page 19- In the
Night and What Happened?
Do one final assessment on Charlottes Web- Read Chapter 4 and
have them make predictions about chapter 5 by just reading the
name of the Chapter.

Action Research

Initial Assessment Reflection

Administered: October 6, 2015
Student Z:
After giving Student Z her first two assessments, I noticed that she was
one of the strongest performers in the classroom. Mrs. Underwood gave me
all top performers in her classroom to work with because she wanted me to
challenge them and push them to be the best they can be. The first
assessment I gave them was a worksheet from a workbook called, Reading
Passages That Build Comprehension: Inference. The title of the worksheet
was Thinking About Information. I gave this assessment to the students
without explaining anything about making inferences. When reading through
her answers on the first assessment, I could tell she has excellent
comprehension abilities. She was one of the first ones to complete her
assessment. After they all completed the assessment, I defined the word

Action Research
inference and the whole group walked through another worksheet together. I
explained that making an inference required you to look for the missing
information in a text. This means that you need to look for context clues in
the passage, and based on those findings make an educated guess on what
will happen next. When walking through this assessment together, I noticed
that Student Z was working ahead of the other two students in the group. I
tried to rein her in, and help her stay with the rest of the group but she
understood what we were doing, so I let her go ahead. I wanted her to
remain interested in the information and she was doing that at her own pace.
After the first few assessments, the whole class was talking about thinking
about what might happen next in the chapter book they were reading, and
Student Z said Mrs. Hancock, thats like an inference! She was able to
bring the information that I was teaching her in the first few sessions to the
full classroom.

Student H:
After giving Student H the initial two assessments, I noticed that she
was a very slow worker. She was the last one to complete the initial
assessment. I think it just took her a while to pick out the key details in the
text to help her make inferences about the passages. When reading through
the passages together, I noticed that she was waiting for others to answer,
before she made an inference. Student H wants to get the answer right and I
think she has a fear of failure. I need make sure that I work with her on being
confident in her answers even if they might not be correct. Its okay if the

Action Research
answer is wrong, because we can always fix it later. When looking at her
answers on the first assessment, she had trouble justifying her inferences. I
think this will be another one of her areas that she will struggle in. It is very
evident that she is trying her best on these assessments because of the
amount of time that she puts into them, but she just needs to work on
finding that textual evidence to support her inferences.

Student P:
After administering the initial assessments to Student P, I noticed that
he was somewhere in the middle of the two other students. The first
assessment that he worked on by himself, he was able to make inferences
but his textual evidence was sometimes there, but sometimes he was lacking
in that area. The main concept that I was going to need to work on with him
was going beyond just what is seen in the text. Most of his answers just focus
on what is written in the passage. An inference is an educated guess you
make based on what is in the passage, but you use textual evidence to prove
your answer, which is not found in the passage. Student P finds his answer in
the passage rather than using the passage to find his answer.

Action Research
Action Research: Tracking Data Collection and Student Progress
Goal for student(s): Be able to make good inferences about future
chapters/passages when looking at key details in the text
Growth Targets:
Date

Strategy/
Skill
taught

Assessment

Observations

Next Steps
(instruction/fo
cus for next
lesson)

October 6,
2015

What is an
Inference?

What is an
Inference?
Worksheet
PreAssessmentThinking
about
Information

We walked
through the first
worksheet or
assessment
together to help
them understand
the concept of
what an inference
is. I had one
student read the
passage out loud
and I talked
through the
questions with
them. I also had
them do another
worksheet and
they did this on
their own. This
was the preassessment to
help me
understand what
they already
know. We also
read the first
chapter of
Charlottes Web
and I had them
make an
inference on what

The focus of my
next lesson needs
to be more about
focusing on the
key details of the
passage/text.

20 mins

Action Research
they think will
happen in the
next chapters.
October
15, 2015

Making
inferences

How Clothes
Help and
The Shopping
List

We reviewed from
last time about
what an inference
is and how we
make inferences. I
gave them
another
assessment and
had them work on
it individually. We
read the passages
together but they
answered the
questions
individually. After
completing the
worksheet, we
read another
chapter of
Charlottes Web.
We read the title
and before even
reading I asked
what they
thought the
chapter was going
to be about just
solely based on
the title of the
chapter. This was
focusing more on
the key details of
the story and
looking closely at
what is going on
in the story.

The focus of my
next lesson needs
to be on
continuing to
focus on key
details in the text.
They do still not
fully comprehend
to look at the
details and then
make inferences
based on the text.
They are still just
guessing.

Making
inferences

The Factory
and Max
Makes a Call

I reviewed from
last time about
the importance of

They are still

struggling with
looking back at

25 mins

October
23, 2015
25 mins

Action Research

December
1, 2015

Making
inferences

In the Night
and What
Happened?

looking at key
details in the text
to make
inferences. We
read through the
two passages
together and they
answered the
questions on their
own. They did a
great job with
their
assessments. We
also read through
another chapter
of Charlottes
Web. They love
reading this book.
They are having
more fun making
inferences when
reading through
this story.

the text for text

evidence to
support their
inference. We
have gone over
their assessments
together to work
on finding that
text evidence.

The last time we

met, they took
their initial
assessment again
and they did such
a great job. They
flew through the
assessment
because they
knew how to
make inferences.
Student P was still
having trouble
looking at the text
evidence. He
seemed to fly
through the two
passages but
didnt quite

If I had more time

to work with them,
I would work
individually with
him on reading
through the
passages and
picking out
evidence that
could help us
figure out what
could happen next
that is not
necessarily in the
text.

Action Research
understand the
questions. They
now really
understand the
definition of the
word inference
and are using it in
class as well!

Strategies Used:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Running Record Reading Assignments
Model thinking
Finding Key Details in the Text
Defining the skill of inference making

Lessons/Assessments Used:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Reading Passages That Build Comprehension: Inference

Thinking about Information
What is an Inference?
Mini Lesson: Teaching Inference Skills
Assessment 2: How Clothes Help and The Shopping List
Practice Page 1: The Factory and Max Makes a Call
Practice Page 19: In the Night and What Happened?
Charlottes Web- Chapters 1-5 (running record)
a. Reading Questions- making inferences

Action Research

Necessary Instruction Changes

1. After the first assessment that I gave my small group, I noticed that
two of the students were struggling with searching for textual evidence
to support their inference. They both could read the passages and
answer the questions on their own, but their evidence wasnt strong. I
kept reminding them both that inferences were educated guesses
based on the text in the story. Student P sill seemed to find his answers
based on the text in the passage.
2. I noticed that Student H was lagging behind when the others were
ready to move on. After watching her read and answer the questions, I
thought it would be a good idea if we did the next reading as a group.
We walked through the passage and the questions together but

Action Research
Student Z got ahead of us. She knew how to answer the questions
correctly so I was hard for her to stay at our pace.
3. Student P still struggled with making inferences in his own words. He
would always use the text as his inference. He had the right idea of
using the text to form his answer, but he relied too much on the text.
He needed to form his own words when making an inference and then
use the text to back it up.
4. One way I could have improved explaining an inference would be to
relate it to another subject. I could have explained that an inference is
like an hypothesis in science. All three of my student enjoy science and
I feel would have been able to make the connection better if I would
have been able to see how an inference is supposed to be made in
reading. A hypothesis is an educated guess on what you think will
happen in the experiment based on what you know. An inference is the
same thing only you are guessing what will happen next in the passage
or story.

Final Assessment Reflection

Administered: December 1, 2015
Student Z
After the four sessions of intervention, Student Z had a slight
improvement. Student Z started out at the top of the group. She answers
almost all of the assessments correctly and didnt have much room for
improvement. I have seen the improvement in the classroom. She has made
connections by looking for ways to make inferences in the classroom.

Action Research
Student Z will let me know that she has made an inference and show me
how she came to that conclusion. It is very exciting to see her make these
connections from what we have talked about in the small group to the whole
class discussion. It shows me she really grasped what we were talking about
and wants to improve.
Student H
After completing the final assessment, I feel as though Student H has
made progress in her confidence level. She completed all of the questions on
the final assessment correctly after quickly reading through the passages.
Just working with her individually has made all the difference. Student H is a
very smart girl and doesnt get that one-on-one attention because she is on
the highest level in the class. Just by working with her for a short amount of
time one-on-one I can see the difference in her ability to be confident in her
answers.
Student P
After completing the final assessment, I feel as though Student P didnt
improve much. He was still struggling with using the text as his inference
rather than using the text as a guide. If I had more time with him, I would go
though different passages and have him talk out what evidence he is using
and then have him make a prediction or inference based on the text.

Action Research
Date

Baseline
Data:
Assessments
and Results
(list all)

Date

Midpoint Data:
Assessments and
Results
(list all)

Date

Final Data:
Assessments and
Results
(list all)

10/6/15

Thinking
about
Information

10/15/15 What is an
Inference?

How
Clothes
Help and
The
Shopping
List

12/1/15

The
Factory
and
Max
Makes
a Call

In the
Night and
What
Happened?

Student 7/8
Z

Student
Z

5/5

4/4

Student
Z

1/2

2/2

Student 5/8
H

Student
H

5/5

4/4

Student
H

1/2

2/2

Student 2/8
P

Student
P

5/5

3/4

Student
P

0/2

0/2

Action Research
Data Analysis of All Assessments
Student Z

100 100 100

Student H

Student P

100 100

100 100

87.5
75
62.5
50

50

25

Action Research

A Study on Making Inferences in Reading

Lindsey Ann Hancock
Samford University
Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education

Action Research
Abstract
By making inferences, students are able to use what they know already in the text
to make their own predictions about what they think will happen next in the story or
passage. Inferences allow students to be creative with their thinking while also
using text evidence to support their answers.
Keywords: inference, text evidence, support,
prediction

Action Research
Making Inferences in Reading
Inferences are an important part of 21st century reading skills. We want
our children to be able to comprehend the material that is presented in
reading, but we also want them to go beyond that and go deeper into the
material presented. Making inferences requires a higher level of thinking by
reading the material and making assumptions or educated guesses about
what is not explicitly said in the passage or book. There are several
strategies for helping student make inferences when reading though a
passage or a book and some include, having the students ask themselves
questions while they read, teaching a student how to make inferences by
relating it all subject areas, and making sure the child understands the
vocabulary in order for them to make inferences in the text.
The first article that I read listed several questions students should ask
themselves while reading through a passage. Teachers will usually provide
these questions for the students while using the method of elaborative
interrogation (Marzano, 2010, pg. 80). This method is used to make sure that
students know what the material is as well as remembering it. The strategy
should include asking these four questions: What is my inference? What
information did I use to make this inference? How good was my thinking? Do
I need to change my thinking? Asking questions will help students make
connections and think deeper into their reading. Most of the time second
graders will just read the words on the page. When we as teachers, ask them
questions or have them as themselves questions while reading, they will take

Action Research
their time and really read to understand what is going on in the passage or
book. Some students take more time to make connections than others; this is
why it is a good idea to have students answer the questions in their reading
journal. That way they can go at their own pace and not feel rushed. The four
questions build on each other, which require students to really examine their
inferences carefully and find evidence based on how they came to that
conclusion (Marzano, 2010, pg. 81).
The second two articles talked about relating making inferences to
every subject area. One article talked about relating making inferences in
reading to making inferences in science. Scientists make educated guesses
based on the evidence they find before and during an experiment (Teaching
About How Scientists Make Inferences, 2015). It is the teachers
responsibility to explain the idea of how scientists make inferences before
and during experiments and then we as readers make inferences before we
read a story either, based on the title or even the picture on the front cover
of the book, and while we read the story. A good strategy would be to ask the
students to make observations in their reading, just like they would in a
science experiment. Based off of these observations the teacher can ask
students to ask questions about what they notice or what they may not
notice in the text. Then students can answer these questions to the best of
their ability based off of the evidence that they find in their reading.
Teachers can also relate making inferences to other subjects such as
Math and Social Studies. Students can be asked to read a specific set of data

Action Research
in math and make in inference about how the numbers will change. Students
can also use this strategy in Social Studies. They can make inferences based
on what they think will happen because of certain events in history like wars
or the Great Depression. They will take the facts and observations they know
and can predict what will happen next.
In the last article it talked about how it is very important to know the
vocabulary in your book before being able to make inferences about the text.
First of all, the teacher needs to explain what making an inference means.
Inference is a big word that not many second graders would understand.
After explaining what the word inference means, the teacher needs to make
sure his or her students understand all of the vocabulary words that are in
the passage they will be reading. It would be very hard for students to make
inferences if they dont understand or cant comprehend what they are
reading in the first place.
Inferences play a key role in how students comprehend a story. If
students can comprehend the material, then that next step would be to
make inferences based on what they have comprehended. Sometimes
inferences can be formed based on questions the reader have throughout
the text. It is very important that we relate making inferences to all subject
areas we are studying because it can help with reading comprehension and
improving literacy skills in general.